July 2017

In the moment: Sports medicine

Factors contributing to kinesiophobia after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) appear to differ in patients with high levels of physical activity compared with their less-active counterparts, according to research from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

Investigators analyzed 80 patients who were a mean of 6.3 months post-ACLR, including 28 who self-reported low levels of physical activity and 28 who self-reported high levels.

Scores on the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK) were significantly associated with functional measures—specifically ham­strings strength and hop test performance—in the highly active group, but not in the less-active group.

“Objective measures may only be relevant with regard to TSK for highly active patients,” said Haley Solaas, MEd, a former graduate student at the university who is now head athletic trainer for Newport News Public Schools in Virginia; she presented the findings in late June at the annual NATA meeting in Houston, TX. “I think a global approach to return to play is important, not only functional performance, no matter what the patient’s activity level is.”